


Old Habits

by Settiai



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: Established Relationship, Holly Poly, Holly Poly Treat, Multi, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28798320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/pseuds/Settiai
Summary: It was easy to slip into old habits.
Relationships: Catherine Sakai/Jeffrey Sinclair/Michael Garibaldi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 11
Collections: Holly Poly 2020





	Old Habits

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flowersforgraves](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowersforgraves/gifts).



It was easy to slip into old habits.

Catherine held out her hand to Jeff as they finished dinner, her eyes sparkling with amusement as the two of them had one of those silent conversations of theirs that didn't need any words. He reached out and took it, letting her pull him to his feet, before he turned and held out his free hand to Michael.

"Coming?" Jeff asked, and there was no misreading the look on his face for anything but what it was.

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" he asked. "I know the two of you are still figuring things out. I don't want to be in the way."

Catherine rolled her eyes, but she looked more amused than anything else.

Jeff just shot him a look. "Would I be offering if I didn't mean it, Michael?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

Michael stood up and made a show of dusting any remaining crumbs from dinner off his clothes, not that there were any. Then he reached out and took Jeff's hand.

It had been ages, but their hands still fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

"Come on then," Catherine said with a laugh. "It's been too long. Why don't the two of you show me what you've learned since the last time we did this."

For just a second, Michael would have sworn that he could hear the familiar sound of Lise's laughter joining in with Catherine's, and he thought that he saw a glimpse of her tossing her hair back out of her face out of the corner of his eye. Then, just like that, he was back in the present, one of his hands held tightly in Jeff's grip while his other dangled free.

He clenched his free hand into a fist for just a moment, trying to hold onto a phantom hand that wasn't there.

Jeff shot him a knowing look, as if he knew exactly what Michael was thinking. Who knew? As well as they knew each other, he probably did. Lise had been an on-and-off part of their lives almost as long as Catherine had.

"Come on, Michael," Jeff said, and it probably should have burned him to hear his voice be so gentle but Michael couldn't help but feel a little relief at it. "You heard the lady. She wants to see what we've learned."

Michael shot them both a grin that he suspected didn't quite meet his eyes. "Well, you know me," he said. "I live to serve."

Catherine snorted, a thoroughly unladylike sound that fit her perfectly.

Jeff shot him an amused look. "I think she doubts you," he said casually, as if they were discussing some as boring as the weather or the latest style of clothing on Centauri Prime.

"I'll just have to prove it then," Michael said. He took a few steps forward so that he was side-by-side with Jeff, both of them trailing behind Catherine just slightly. "Lead the way."

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Twitter. (https://twitter.com/settiai)


End file.
